LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2019

PERCH PLEASE

LOCAL WHEAT BEER

Sip through an aromatic fluffy head to savour a tasty wheat beer that explodes with fine fizz and ends with a fresh and dry finish. This summery beer style makes an excellent accompaniment for gently flavoured fish. If you can’t find Bench near you, try Side Launch Wheat Beer ( LCBO 10075, 473 mL, $3.35). Bench Brewing Stone Road White Ale LCBO 647867, 473 mL, $3.15

To skin perch, place skin-side down on a cutting board. Grip the tail. Using a long, thin knife, insert between skin and fish, slicing away

from your hand holding the tail.

Crispy Perchwith Celery Bread and Homemade Pickled Tartar Sauce Lake Erie fried fish brings back many memories as it takes me back to the area where I was lucky enough to cottage as a kid. Fish-fry cookouts make me seriously nostalgic for those times when neighbours would hang out and bathing suits were the uniform all summer long. This recipe is inspired by the mainstay perch plate at Port Dover’s Perch Patio in the Erie Beach Hotel.

1 egg ⁄ cup (125 mL) milk ⁄ to ⁄ cup (125 to 175mL) fine bread crumbs ⁄ lb (340 g) fresh yellow perch, skinned and boned, cut into strips Generous pinches of salt 2 tbsp (30 mL) each butter and vegetable oil Celery Bread (recipe on page 154) Homemade Pickled Tartar Sauce (recipe on page 154) Lemon wedges, for squeezing 1 In a shallow bowl, whisk egg with milk. In another shallow dish, spread out bread crumbs. Sprinkle fish with salt. Working

in batches, dip fish pieces in egg-mixture then bread crumbs. Set on a plate. 2 Coat a heavy-bottom frying pan with 1 tbsp (15 mL) each oil and butter set over high heat. Cooking in batches, add about a third of fish. Adjust heat, as needed. Cook until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to plates. Continue with 2 more batches, adding more oil and butter, as need- ed. Serve with Celery Bread, Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges. Add crunchy coleslaw or a fresh green salad alongside, if you like. Makes 2 servings

Erie Beach Hotel

PORT DOVER, ONTARIO | ERIEBEACHHOTEL.COM

This hotel has been in the family since 1946. It’s famous for serving perch, giving it the light-handed treatment it deserves by simply coating it in fine bread crumbs and lightly frying. The restaurant’s traditional plate is served with fries, homemade tartar sauce and lemon—and its celery bread is a popular accompaniment and a must-try local specialty. Pull up a chair and soak up some sun on its Perch Patio, the latest addition to this landmark locale.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIE BEACH HOTEL

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SUMMER 2019 FOOD & DRINK